Venezuela opposition plans silent procession, road sit-ins

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's energized opposition is
planning sit-ins on roads, silent marches in white to commemorate
the dead and other nontraditional protests as it tries to build
on the momentum of recent street demonstrations against President
Nicolas Maduro's socialist government.

Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of the South
American country again Thursday to demand elections and denounce
what they consider an essentially dictatorial government. They
were met by curtains of tear gas and rubber bullets as they tried
to march to downtown Caracas.

Later in the day, opposition leaders gathered in a show of unity
at an outdoor news conference in the eastern Caracas neighborhood
that has been at the heart of three weeks of near-daily protests.
Some residents came out on balconies to cheer as the politicians
urged supporters to don white and march silently through Caracas
on Saturday to commemorate the eight people killed in the
demonstrations. The opposition is planning Monday sit-ins to
block highways.

General Motors announced early Thursday that it was closing its
operations in Venezuela after authorities seized its factory in
the industrial city of Valencia, a move that could draw the Trump
administration into the escalating chaos engulfing the nation.

The plant was confiscated Wednesday as anti-Maduro protesters
clashed with security forces and pro-government groups. The
seizure arose from an almost 20-year-old lawsuit brought by a
former GM dealership in western Venezuela.

Hundreds of workers desperate for information about their jobs
gathered at the plant Thursday to meet with government and
military officials as well as representatives of the dealership
that brought the lawsuit. The neglected factory hasn't produced a
car since 2015, but GM still has 79 dealers that employ 3,900
people in Venezuela, where for decades it was the market leader.

The State Department said Thursday it was reviewing details of
the GM case but called on Venezuelan authorities to act swiftly
and transparently to resolve the dispute.

A number of major Latin American governments, including Mexico,
Argentina and Brazil, called on Venezuela to take steps to
increase democratic order and halt the violence that has been
swirling around the protests. Across the country, clashes have
been intense as protests grow in size and fervor.

The unrest was sparked by a Supreme Court decision last month to
strip Venezuela's opposition-controlled congress of its few
remaining powers, a move that was later reversed amid a storm of
international criticism. But the initial ruling reinvigorated
Venezuela's fractious opposition, which had been struggling to
channel growing disgust with Maduro over widespread food
shortages, triple-digit inflation and rampant crime.

Opponents are pushing for Maduro's removal through early
elections and the release of dozens of political prisoners. The
government last year abruptly postponed regional elections that
the opposition was heavily favored to win and it cut off a
petition drive aimed at forcing a referendum seeking Maduro's
removal before elections scheduled for late next year.

But the government hasn't backed down.

Already drawing criticism for the GM seizure, Maduro announced
late Thursday that he wanted an investigation into cellphone
operator Movistar for allegedly being part of the "coup-minded
march" organized by his adversaries Wednesday. That march was the
largest and most dramatic the country has seen in years. He said
the subsidiary of Spain's Telefonica "sent millions of messages
to users every two hours" in support of Wednesday's protests.

As tensions mount, the government is using its almost-complete
control of Venezuela's institutions to pursue its opponents. On
Wednesday alone, 565 protesters were arrested nationwide,
according to Penal Forum, a local group that provides legal
assistance to detainees. It said 334 remained in jail Thursday.

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Venezuela opposition plans silent procession, road sit-ins

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's energized opposition is planning sit-ins on roads, silent marches in white to commemorate the dead and other nontraditional protests as it tries to build on the momentum of recent street demonstrations against President Nicolas Maduro's socialist government.